Chapter 138 Cooperation
When Lin Yan came home that night, I massaged his tense shoulders and asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly want to enter the smart home market on a large scale? I didn't hear you explain it in detail before."
He sighed comfortably, closed his eyes and enjoyed it: "It's not that sudden. In fact, the technical reserves have been there for a long time. We have been doing small-scale testing and optimization before.
Now that the company has grown in size, we need more compelling business segments to support our valuations and raise funds, so this is the perfect time to launch it.”
He turned around and pulled me to sit on his lap, his eyes sparkling. "Besides, honey, don't you think this could be very interesting in conjunction with the direction of our Iron Stone project in the future?"
"Huh?" I didn't react for a moment.
"Imagine," he gestured, "if your game is successful, and we create an even larger virtual world in the future, could our smart homes become a bridge between the virtual and real worlds? For example, in the game, at night, the lights in your home automatically dim. When exciting scenes occur in the game, the environmental regulator slightly lowers the temperature and increases the humidity to create an immersive feeling... In the future, your game's AI character might even be able to communicate with you through your smart speaker at home."
I was stunned when I heard this: "You are thinking too far..."
"It's always better to plan ahead." He kissed me proudly. "Besides, the process of building these things is really interesting. Seeing cold hardware and code eventually become concrete products that can improve people's happiness, that sense of accomplishment is a bit like when you master an algorithm module."
"It seems that Mr. Lin has found a new toy recently?" I poked his chest with a smile.
"Yeah," he grabbed my hand, his eyes growing a little darker. "So, Mr. Chen, would you like to try out the latest 'smart home'? For example... that 'smart bed' that automatically adjusts its angle based on ergonomics and has heating and massage functions?"
"...Lin Yan! You're here again!" My face instantly turned hot. This guy always manages to turn these serious matters into something inappropriate!
"Product testing is also part of the boss's job."
He said this righteously, picked me up and walked towards the bedroom.
Well, it seems that I have to "experience" Mr. Lin's new product again tonight.
However, listening to him describe those future possibilities, I did feel a little itchy in my heart.
Of course, the most exciting thing right now is probably the "smart bed" in the bedroom that is working hard.
The partner company is moving very quickly. The companion chat software project developed based on my NPC AI plug-in has been officially launched. I heard that if it goes well, internal testing will begin by the end of the year.
This news makes me very happy. It is always something to be proud of that my research results can be put into practice so quickly.
On the other hand, with Lin Yan's help, I had a formal meeting with the members of the independent game studio he mentioned.
We arranged to meet at a quiet cafe. I arrived a little early, feeling a bit nervous about what kind of person the other person would be.
As a result, when they pushed the door open, I was amused at the sight of them - they were all wearing plaid shirts and casual pants, their hair was a little messy, and their eyes had a bit of concentration unique to technical people and a little bit of discomfort in social situations.
This outfit, this demeanor, is exactly like the ones in my lab! My nervousness instantly vanished.
After greeting each other and sitting down, I noticed that they looked at me with curiosity.
Obviously, they had done their homework before coming and were very interested in my NPC plug-in.
The topic naturally turned to technical details.
I thought the time was right, so I took a deep breath and began to explain the game idea that had been lingering in my mind for a long time.
I spoke with great enthusiasm, from the core setting of "falling into the game space", to how to use AI plug-ins to achieve real "dialogue" with NPCs to promote puzzle solving and plot, to the kind of immersive experience I hope to create, driven by information and logic rather than pure combat.
They all listened very attentively, exchanging glances with each other from time to time, as if they were thinking about something.
When I was almost done, one of the guys, who looked a bit older and was probably the person in charge, spoke up first. He scratched his head and said, "Mr. Chen, your idea is quite novel. These days, everyone in the market is obsessed with special effects, open worlds, and combat mechanics. Your direction is a bit like returning to those classic adventure games driven by text and choices, but with the addition of AI, it becomes completely different."
I smiled a bit sheepishly. "Indeed. I personally also enjoy playing AAA games like Final Fantasy and Sekiro. The visual impact and exciting combat are indeed very attractive. But I always feel that the quality of a game shouldn't be limited by its format. I would rather explore a unique gameplay method that can fully utilize the potential of AI interaction, making the story and exploration itself the core fun."
At that moment, a guy wearing black-framed glasses nearby pushed his glasses up and raised a very practical question: "It's a cool idea. But it would be a huge challenge to balance the numbers and design the system. Especially in a game that relies so heavily on dialogue and information acquisition, it's easy to have an 'optimal solution' or situations where some dialogue options offer far greater benefits than others. Once players discover this, they can easily exploit this loophole and ruin the experience. These kinds of problems are all too common in games that emphasize freedom."
"That's right," another member agreed. "Taking a path no one has ever taken means there's no ready-made template to follow. We have to step into all the pitfalls ourselves, which is much more difficult than developing according to a proven formula."
The person who spoke first nodded, then changed the subject: "But honestly, Mr. Chen, I'm quite optimistic about this direction. Although our studio has previously mostly made smaller, more hardcore games that focus on system-based gameplay, who doesn't dream of creating a masterpiece? Especially something this groundbreaking, the appeal is immense. Compared to making another common game on the market, this is much more interesting."
Another guy, who had been quiet the whole time, rubbed his chin and said pragmatically, "But from a technical perspective, Mr. Chen, your game is more story-driven and text-based, which isn't exactly a good fit for us. We're better at code logic and system architecture, but this kind of project might require a higher level of artistry, especially 2D representations like character illustrations, CG, and UI. Of course, if you insist, we can do it in 3D, but I don't think the cost-effectiveness is necessarily high, and it might even distract us."
I listened carefully and nodded continuously.
I understand their concerns. They have a clear understanding of the difficulty of the project and are also considering whether their own technology stack is suitable.
They are not blindly optimistic, but are really thinking about the feasibility, which makes me feel more at ease.
"I understand what you're saying," I concluded. "This project does present challenges, and it requires us to find the optimal balance in our collaborative model. How about this: Let's all go back and think it over carefully. If your studio is ultimately willing to participate, I'd naturally welcome it and look forward to it."
The talks ended in a friendly but slightly cautious atmosphere.
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